10 Best Foods For Your Skin

>>Almonds

Skin boost: Sun Blocker

Almonds are stuffed with vitamin E, which helps defend against sun damage. Volunteers who consumed 14 milligrams of the vitamin per day (about 20 almonds) and then were exposed to UV light burned less than those who took none. And because vitamin E is an antioxidant, it also works to keep your arteries free of dangerous free radicals.

These little seeds offer a payload of omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fine lines. The British Journal of Nutrition reported that participants in one study who downed about half a teaspoon of o-3s in 6 weeks experienced significantly less irritation and redness, along with better-hydrated skin. Beyond flax, salmon is an omega king.

They’re loaded with vitamin C, which smoothes out wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that volunteers who consumed 4 milligrams of C (about half a small sweet potato) daily for 3 years decreased the appearance of wrinkles by 11 percent. Try papaya and carrot, too.

In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, people who ate the most leafy greens had half as many skin tumors over 11 years as those who ate the least. The folate in these veggies, which helps maintain and repair DNA, may reduce the likelihood of cancer-cell growth.

The omega-6 fatty acids found in safflower oil can be the ultimate moisturizer for people who suffer from dry, flaky, or itchy skin. They keep cell walls supple, allowing water to better penetrate the epidermis. Scientists have found that this oil may even help people who suffer from sever conditions such as eczema.

>>Canned Tuna

Skin boost: Skin Tightener

Your favorite deli sandwich has a little secret: Selenium. This nutrient helps preserve elastin, a protein that keeps your skin smooth and tight. The antioxidant is also believed to buffer against the sun (it stops free radicals created by UV exposure from damaging cells).

>>Carrots

Skin boost: Blemish Blaster

Think of carrots as orange wonder wands – good for the eyeballs, and good for clearing up breakouts. No magic here, though, just plenty of Vitamin A, which prevents overproduction of cells in the skin’s outer layer. That means fewer dead cells to combine with sebum and clog pores. Plus, vitamin A reduces the development of skin-cancer cells.

Green tea releases catechin, an antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Research found that drinking 2 to 6 cups a day not only helps prevent skin cancer but might also reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralizing the changes that appear in sun-exposed skin. (The tea’s antioxidants degrade as it cools, so drink it while it’s hot).

>>Dark Chocolate

Skin boost: Sun Blocker

Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with a chocolate bar’s worth of flavonols had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank significantly few flavonols.